


It Is What It Is

by athenaeums



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Anger Management, Anxiety, Canon Compliant, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Canon, same-sex relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 05:26:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12292227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/athenaeums/pseuds/athenaeums
Summary: He can feel his heart hammering, his skin itching to explode and all he can see is Theo’s face bloody and bruised, it’s all he wants. But something is holding him back, something is trying to push his energy away from Theo and back inside. His body is screaming to beat the life from the arrogant, selfish boy below him but his mind – his mind is fighting every move he makes.





	It Is What It Is

**Author's Note:**

> A 'Theo is Liam's anchor' fic that I've thrown together after the slightly underwhelming series finale.

“Liam!” Mason’s voice is blurring at the edges.

It’s a distant crash against the pulsing, the shockwaves pushing from his head as the blood rushes through his ears and around his skull. He screws his eyes shut and pushes his hands to the ground, tries to think about deep breaths, tries to think about mantras and the sun, the moon, the truth, but it just won’t stop.

“Breathe, Liam!” Mason’s voice sounds like a hammer, beating against his skull. He doesn’t even know what it’s about – not really.

He can’t explain why this is happening, why he’s feeling such inexplicable rage suddenly in the middle of lacrosse training. He thought he was past this. He thinks of Hayden but her face is pushed from his mind the minute he tries to remember what her lips feel like.

“Please move back,” Corey now, trying to rid the area of confused lacrosse players. Great. He’s making a scene.

He clenches his hand into a fist and god, he wants to hit something so bad. He wants to hit someone so bad but he can’t. He can smell the confusion, the fear, from his teammates. It’s overwhelming and he knows that his eyes are showing. He wants to scream but he’s terrified that he’ll growl.

“What the hell is that?” a voice asks. Liam tunes into the tremble in their vocal chords, the slight waver of bravery. Before he can look up at who it is, give in to his baser instincts to swipe at him, scratch him, _bite_ him a hand is under his armpit and he’s being hauled into the woods.

 _Theo_.

He should have smelled him, he should have heard him. Blind rage rendered him stupid and reckless and he knew it would get him killed. But he should have controlled this by now.

“You can open your eyes now, idiot,” Theo rolls his eyes. Liam can hear it. He vaguely acknowledges the calm slowly seeping into his brain, the claws retracting one by one. He knows he’s showing his regular blue eyes as he breathes heavily and sets his gaze upon Theo’s tired face. “What was it this time? Lacrosse stick to the head?”

“One of the guys accidentally shoulder-checked me,” Liam mumbles and inspects his hands, makes sure there isn’t any damage he needs to heal.

“This is ridiculous,” Theo sighs. “Maybe you need to stop playing, it’s not safe.”

“What!” Liam cries. “They wouldn’t hurt me!”

Theo just stares at him.

“It’s not safe for the team,” Liam exhales and hits his head back against a tree. “What do you care anyway?”

“As much as it pains me to say it,” Theo answers through gritted teeth. “Scott left me in this shitty little down to make sure nothing bad happens – you tearing up your lacrosse team would count as something bad.”

“Look at you now, Theo,” Liam smirks. “Still begging for Scott’s approval.” He pushes away from the tree and straightens his lacrosse kit. “I don’t need saving, not by you.”

He walks away, checking Theo’s steady heartbeat. He’s annoyed he didn’t rile him. He didn’t even notice the calm settling through his bones making it easier to breathe and effortless to focus.

***

There’s a new kid in town and Liam is almost positive he’s supernatural. He’s trying to reign him in, trying to help like Scott would have wanted him to when he feels the frustration and anger pulsing through him. He doesn’t understand why the kid won’t just cooperate. Why can’t he see that this is good for him?

He’s tracking the kid in the tunnels under Beacon Hills when his breathing increases in pace and he feels his jaw tense. His whole body feels like a spring, all coiled up and ready to burst, to fly out of control. He clenches his hands into fists and hisses at the sting he immediately feels in his palms. It calms him for a moment. He hates being down in the tunnels – so many bad memories, so many feelings etched into the walls and dripping from the ceiling. It’s overwhelming.

“Are you ok?” Theo mumbles from his side.

“Fine,” Liam grumbles, but he can feel the nausea rising and he knows the tension behind his eyes will soon be unbearable.

“So how does it happen?” Theo asks.

“What?” Liam snaps impatiently.

“The rage,” Theo says simply. “Is it like a blackout that you can’t control or can you stop yourself from hurting people?”

Liam squints at him with disbelief. He hasn’t got time for this. There’s a thread through his whole body and it’s about to snap somewhere around his heart. “You want to talk about this right now?”

“Well,” Theo sighs, peeking around a corner before boldly stepping around it and continuing. “You’re pretty wired right now, am I going to have to fight you?”

“You’d love that!” Liam declares a little too loudly. He hears a pipe clang loudly from up ahead and he knows his eyes switch at the sensory overload. Fear, devastation, grief, triumph, concern. He can smell it all around him and it’s making his brain go crazy.

“Calm down,” Theo orders and pushes him along. His hand rests on the small of Liam’s back as they inch forwards. He’s pressing gently with his fingertips and Liam takes a deep breath.

He catches sight of the kid – terrified and alone – and sighs. The thread loosens and some of the tension escapes through his spine. He’s left static when Theo removes his hand and goes to the boy, asking his name and where he’s from. He’s too busy trying not to scare the new werewolf to pinpoint when the calm began easing through his veins.

***

Liam runs into the woods, as far away from civilisation as he can. He glances up and checks the full moon and feels it like a punch to the chest. He thinks about calling Scott but he wonders if his alpha might try to return, to help him get back on track. His advice wasn’t so helpful the last time. He wants to call Mason, desperately, but he can’t. He knows if he hurts him he could kill him – he’d never forgive himself. He thinks of Theo for one ridiculous, stupid moment and before he can stop it, he growls loud and clear. Panic rises through him as he spots his claws. He can feel his face contorting and knows his eyes are shining brightly. He tries to think of Hayden again, tries to concentrate on memories of her – kissing, playing video games, holding hands in the hall. But he can’t settle.

“You called?” an obnoxious voice asks from behind.

“Go away,” Liam says on instinct but there’s a voice in the back of his mind screaming at him to make Theo stay. “Why are you here?”

“I could hear you from miles away,” Theo says like it’s nothing.

“Shit,” Liam curses and takes it out on a nearby tree.

“What’s going on Liam?” Theo asks, suddenly serious. “You should be under control by now.”

He’s pointing to the moon but Liam can’t bring himself to look at it again.

“Hayden’s not here,” he forces out. “She stopped this from happening, she anchored me.”

Theo laughs and Liam wants to hit him. He’s not sure how much longer he can keep his limbs by his side.

“That’s bullshit,” Theo finishes his chuckle. “What normally triggers you?”

Liam snaps.

He punches Theo square in the face knocking him the ground. He goes to hit him again as he pins him to the ground with one hand but Theo dodges the hit and Liam ends up flailing at thin air. He’s still shifted, he knows he’s stronger but he can’t seem to hit the mark. He tries a few more times but every time Theo gets the upper hand and manages to move slightly out of the way.

“Liam, stop it!” Theo yells but he can’t stop. He can feel his heart hammering, his skin itching to explode and all he can see is Theo’s face bloody and bruised, it’s all he wants. But something is holding him back, something is trying to push his energy away from Theo and back inside. His body is screaming to beat the life from the arrogant, selfish boy below him but his mind – his mind is fighting every move he makes.

As he wars with himself he slackens his grip slightly but Theo takes full advantage and flips them over, holding Liam down with a strong hand against his chest.

“Sorry about this,” Theo mumbles before he knocks Liam spark out. He rests back on Liam’s legs and sighs. “Shit.”

***

Liam wakes on a slab in Deaton’s surgery. He instantly smells the bowls of herbs, the surgical spirits and then he catches the scent of possibly the last person he wants to see. Theo is sat on a chair by the end of the slab when Liam sits up. His heart picks up slightly when he notices Theo’s hand resting on his bare ankle. Theo is staring at him with a hint of a smirk which Liam challenges when he kicks his hand from his foot without breaking eye contact for a second.

“You knocked me out,” he says quietly but with his jaw stiff and unyielding. “Again.”

“Sure did,” Theo crosses his arms and leans back in his seat. “Got you pretty good too, you’ve been out most of the night.”

“Great,” Liam answers sarcastically. “Why am I here?”

Theo studies him for a second before finally breaking eye contact and shifting his gaze to his lap.

“Scott would never forgive me if I left you in the woods like I wanted to,” he lies. Liam can hear his heartbeat. Theo is desperately trying to control it but he can hear the inconsistencies. It’s relaxing. “I figured the animal guy might be able to work out what’s causing these… episodes.”

“I told you what’s wrong,” Liam frowns.

“And I told you that’s bullshit,” Theo challenges.

“Whatever,” Liam deflects. He knows it isn’t entirely true but he doesn’t have to disguise anything to tell the slight mistruth. He genuinely has no idea what is causing him to lash out, to lose control, to almost hurt people. “Did Deaton figure it out?”

Theo nods. Liam wants to punch him right in his face, but this time he’s sure it’s not the IED making him feel so violent.

“Well?” he pushes instead.

They sit in silence for a moment, Liam waiting patiently for any kind of explanation. Theo stands and stretches, pats Liam’s ankle and heads for the door. “I’m not a therapist. I’ll catch you later.”

And he leaves.

Liam feels the rage flooding through him but he contains it to just one bowl of strange smelling herbs shattered on the floor. He lays back down and growls, low and frustrated, as he waits for Deaton to return and put him out of his misery.

***

He’s called out in class when he next feels it happening. It’s there before he can stop it and seconds before he scratches his teacher’s skin from her bones he runs from the classroom, the school and the neighbouring area. He doesn’t stop until he gets home. He ignores his phone pinging messages from Mason and Corey, from Nolan and some of the lacrosse team asking if he’s okay as he scratches into his scalp, elbows on knees at the end of his bed trying to breathe deeply and let it pass.

By the time he receives a text from Dr Geyer about his truancy he’s destroyed his room just short of tearing the wallpaper from the walls.

He remembers what Deaton told him as he gazes upon his destroyed video game collection, the xbox just about surviving the rampage. He wonders if it’s worth trying…

With desperate hands he dials Theo’s number and leaves a frantic message asking him to come over, asking him for help. Deaton couldn’t be right. But how could he refuse to find out?

“Liam,” Theo says as Liam opens the front door a crack to avoid the neighbours seeing him. “It’s been a while.”

“It’s been two days,” Liam sighs.

“Didn’t realise you were counting,” Theo winks, chuckling as he makes his way upstairs. Liam hangs his head slightly when he hears the faraway “woah” escape Theo’s mouth from the doorway to Liam’s room.

“I need your help,” Liam says faintly as he joins Theo in the doorway.

“I don’t know what you think I am but a cleaner is not it, Liam,” Theo points out gesturing at the state of the room.

“No!” Liam cries, frustrated. “Not with that, well yes with that, but mostly not that.”

“Oh good,” Theo says, smiling and throwing himself face first onto Liam’s bed, turning over with his hands below his head to smirk at Liam triumphantly.

“What’s your anchor?” Liam asks bluntly. Theo has the decency to look a little taken aback for a moment.

“Liam,” he turns the nonchalance back on like a switch. “I think it’s a little early in our budding relationship to ask such personal questions.”

Liam muffles a frustrated scream and wills his body to retract the claws that just appeared piercing a hole in the cuff of his shirt. “This is why no one likes you!” he yells. “You’re… the worst!”

“The worst?” Theo raises an eyebrow but he doesn’t move or make any indication that he will.

“Whatever,” Liam dismisses it. “Deaton thinks my episodes are linked to my emotions, to stress, but you already knew that.”

Theo nods.

“He thinks that a lot has happened – the hunters, the Anuk-ite, Hayden moving away, Scott and Stiles leaving, Brett and Lori dying, Gabe,” he presses on the last one just to try and spy a reaction but Theo is as poker-faced as ever winding Liam up even more. “So, my IED is acting up because it’s natural to feel stressed or something. He suggested I find an anchor because apparently it wasn’t Hayden.”

“This is astonishing,” Theo mumbles sarcastically, closing his eyes. “And how exactly do you want me to help with that?”

“I think you already know,” Liam says feeling brave. He can feel the anger in him, barely being kept at bay by Theo’s presence alone. He could only imagine how it would dissipate were he brave enough to sit on the edge of the bed and gently press his hand to Theo’s. “You know you calm me, that’s why you were holding my ankle the other day.”

“I was testing a theory,” Theo says, sitting upright and picking at the duvet below him suddenly completely disinterested in engaging eye contact with the other boy. “Surprise, surprise I was right. I’m always right.”

“How could the world be so cruel as to make Theo Raeken my anchor?” Liam mused to himself. “Is this the price of bringing you back from hell?”

“Is it really that big of a deal?” Theo asks, slightly offended at Liam’s horror.

“Yes!” Liam cries. “You only care about yourself, why would you ever stop- oh.”

Memories of all the times Theo’s saved him from doing something stupid flood his brain. Theo groans as he exhales and throws himself back into Liam’s pillows.

“You’ve known this whole time?” Liam asks quietly. 

“It wasn’t hard to figure out after you brought me back,” Theo says. “Don’t stress yourself over it.”

“Am I yours?” Liam asks tentatively, the inevitable question.

“Liam, don’t,” Theo warns. “Look, I’m doomed to run around after you stopping you from killing people because Scott would kill _me_ if I let it happen. I’ve got the bad end of this deal. Don’t make a thing out of it and we’ll carry on as we have up to now, ok?”

“Sure,” Liam mumbles, sitting on the edge of his bed and reaching over to rest his hand on Theo’s knee.

“What in every layer of hell are you doing, Dunbar?” Theo stares at him with disbelief.

“Calming down,” Liam says, determinedly remaining as he was.

“You’re an actual idiot, a total imbecile,” Theo uttered to his horror but he didn’t remove Liam’s hand.

***

Ben, the new werewolf Liam has been trying to save from himself, brings his own problems to Beacon Hills and none of them need any of it.

“Just when I thought we would actually make it through this year with decent grades,” Mason laments, slamming his study books closed as Corey catches them up with what he knows.

“So, it makes things dark?” Liam asks. He’s confused, but they have to try and understand what they’re fighting.

“I saw it with Ben,” Corey nods. “Literally just blew out all the light, it was pitch black.”

“How do you know a lightbulb didn’t just blow?” Mason asks, desperate for any kind of resolution.

Corey just quirks an eyebrow at him and shakes his head. “You’re not listening. Pitch black. Not even enough light to make a shadow. Ben was talking to it, it wants him to do something.”

“Like a black hole,” Mason muses. “What could something like that want?”

“I don’t think we should hang around to find out,” Liam says, picking up his books and making for the door with Mason and Corey not far behind.

Liam has only ever discussed his fears with Scott and Mason. He’s not in the habit of sharing but later that night when he’s scouring through pages upon pages about all kinds of different enemies, in a way that he hopes would make Lydia proud, he’s aware of Theo in the corner of the room and he wants to tell him. If he shares with anyone, surely it should be his anchor?

“What’s wrong?” Theo asks without him saying anything. “I can smell your stress from here.”

“Nothing,” Liam murmurs, lies. “I just have a lot of studying to do this year and I don’t need this happening right now.”

He finds his tongue feels heavy and the words just won’t form. He’s scared of the dark. He’s a werewolf scared of the dark. Why is that so hard to say?

“Are you worried that you can’t beat it?” Theo asks. Liam just nods. He can’t admit why. He can’t tell him that this time he’s an absolute failure.

“It’ll be fine though,” he is finally resolute. “We’ll do it.”

“We?” Theo raises an eyebrow and Liam resists the urge to kick the chair he’s on to send him to the ground.

“Why are you still here?” Liam asks. He almost regrets it when he notices the hitch in Theo’s breath before he just huffs at him and turns back to what he was reading.

Regardless of the spats, of the disagreements, Liam finds Theo turning up at every single lacrosse practice after that. Liam knows why he’s there – to stop the team getting torn to pieces, to keep Liam under control – but it does nothing to ease the unnerving tension in his body that he’s noticed happens when Theo is around. He can’t focus on his game when he knows Theo is lounging on the bleachers next to Mason casting a lazy gaze across the field. He’s too busy winding himself up for another episode, another small explosion that he can’t escape until he feels a calming and gentle touch balancing his mood and diffusing him. But he’s not the only one that’s noticed Theo’s increased presence wherever Liam is.

When the floodlights start blowing one by one, the clouds move hastily over the moon and the wind picks up, Liam spots Ben from the corner of his eye. He barely has time to stop and think before he’s dropped his stick and he’s running to the EXIT sign flashing above the locker room door. He can feel Theo and Mason fast behind him. By the time he wrenches the door closed behind them, he can barely see anything outside. As the door bolts he hears the EXIT light blow out on the other side.

Liam is frantic. He’s tearing his kit from his body, desperately trying to get some normal shoes and jeans on so he can make a run for it. He can feel the panic heightening in him and it feels just like the Anuk-ite, it feels just like the zoo. Mason enters the locker room and makes his way towards him slowly but Liam wishes he would just leave. Just as his eyes shift, seemingly from nowhere, Theo appears behind him and forces him to sit on the bench with a steady hand to the back of his neck and his shoulders. Liam feels his fingertips pushing gently, massaging across his shoulders for a few seconds and the tension leaves him. He relaxes and falls back slightly, leaning against Theo’s body and focuses on breathing in, breathing out, breathing in…

Liam opens his eyes when Theo moves away and leaves the locker room but not before turning all the lights on full. He stares at Mason who hasn’t moved the whole time.

“You guys are friends now?” he asks warily. “Because you seem kind of close.”

“We have an agreement,” Liam says quietly, rolling his eyes. “I think it’s impossible to be friends with Theo.”

He knows as soon as he says it that it’s a lie, and he can smell the disappointment coming from Mason without any effort at all. “I think he’s trying though.”

“Since when were you his biggest fan?” Liam snaps and instantly regrets it. He glances out of the window but he can see the moon, high in the sky, shining brightly. Whatever the thing with Ben is, it’s moved on for now.

“I’m not but sometimes we have to give someone a second chance? He fought with you against the hunters, basically saved your life,” Mason says with some astonishment. “He tried to take away my pain in the tunnels.”

“He took away your pain?” Liam asks with disbelief. He wishes he wasn’t so surprised. He knows Theo by now, he knows he’s trying.

“No,” Mason smiles. “He couldn’t manage it but I guess I’m happy that he tried?”

Liam just nods. “We need to fight that thing.”

“We do,” Mason agrees. “And we’re going to need him.”

“I know,” Liam admits.

***

He can’t believe of all places to be, he’s back in that damn elevator at the hospital fighting for his breath with Theo Raeken.

“Breathe, Liam!” he can hear Theo ordering but he sounds so far away. He screws his eyes shut so he can’t see just how dark it is. He knows Theo is there because they’re clinging to each other for dear life, rendered blind by whatever monster has taken over the hospital. Theo is trying to clutch at his face, to make him focus on his voice, but he just feels the fear, panic, pushing on all sides of him and suffocating him. He hears Theo complain when he moves his hand and swipes his arm, claws out and ready to fight. He knows his eyes have switched and he’s ready to hurt someone, but he just can’t open them. He’d be able to see better if he could open them, he knows that, but every muscle in his body is fighting to keep them shut.

“You’re just scared, ok?” Theo is going for comforting but all Liam wants is for him to shut up. “You should have told me you were scared of the dark, you idiot!”

“Shut up!” Liam yells but it sounds more like a roar, like a deep rumbling growl that he’d only ever heard Scott do before.

“One emotion at a time, Liam!” Theo yells back. “You’re scared and it’s making you angry but you’re not gonna beat this thing if you’re trying to kill me all the damn time!”

“I’m not!” Liam insists but everything in his body tells him that he would if he was let go.

“I’m not going to die in this elevator trying to save you from yourself,” Theo says. “I’ve been here too many times now.”

Liam can sense the lie, can hear how his heartbeat betrays him, but the overwhelming reality of knowing that Theo would die for him does nothing to help the way he’s panicking. If anything, it worsens it for a moment. But he forces his eyes open and for a moment all he can see is Theo. Everything else is black, but he can see him.

“Hey-” Theo starts with a slightly relieved smile as Liam blinks his eyes back to normal. In doing so, he only ends up seeing more and more darkness. It’s oppressive and aggressive and terrifying - what else is in that elevator with them? As he stares at Theo’s calm face he wonders if they’re both going to die anyway and it’s like his lungs empty themselves of oxygen. He’s clawing at Theo’s shirt trying to concentrate on taking another breath but it just won’t happen. They’re both going to die, in the pitch black, and it will be because Liam killed them both.

He barely notices when Theo slowly lifts his hands back to Liam’s face and pulls him towards him. The only moment he really notes is when his lips meet Theo’s and it’s like he’s woken up after a nightmare. They stay like that together, lips gently moving over lips, slowly breathing each other in, until Liam feels Theo’s hand in his. The elevator dings and hand-in-hand they leave to fight a monster they have no clue about and can’t see. It feels eerily familiar. It feels like a second chance. Liam breathes clearly and fights with focus for the first time in weeks but when it’s all over he doesn’t know what he’s doing. He tries to look at Theo, he watches Mason stare at him knowingly but in the end, he grabs Theo’s hand and pulls him towards the exit, to go home.

“What is this?” Theo asks, raising their joint hands and gesturing towards them with the other. He’s not fighting it though.

“It is what it is, Theo,” Liam sighs.

***

Theo is sitting on the end of the bed while Liam crowds into the pillows. They haven’t spoken since they got here. They haven’t uttered a single sound let alone a coherent word. Liam had eventually let go of Theo when they arrived back to his room but they had yet to discuss it. What the elevator meant. How they succeeded, as a pack, without Scott and Stiles, Lydia and Malia.

“Why did you do it?” Liam asks when he can stand the tension anymore. He’s used to tension, he feels it in every cell but this is different. This tension doesn’t make him want to break things, tear people to shreds or scream until his throat is raw. This tension just makes him nervous and gives him butterflies. Not that he would admit it to anyone.

“You were panicking,” Theo answers, simply. “I needed you to stop.”

“Ok,” Liam says. “But why did you really do it? I can tell when you’re lying.”

“It is what it is, Liam,” is all Theo says, echoing the words Liam uttered to him only an hour ago. “What do you want – a big declaration of feelings? A mix-tape? Running towards each other in the middle of the field?”

Liam considers it for a moment. “No,” he decides. “You’re more of an ‘actions speak louder than words’ kind of guy.”

“Exactly,” Theo immediately agrees. “Wait- what? No-”

He turns and Liam is smirking from his end of the bed, glancing at him shyly from where he is now picking at a loose thread on a pillow. He’s not angry, but his nerves are still making him destroy nice things. He liked that pillowcase. But he’s also sure he likes Theo and that is one thing he can’t destroy.

“We don’t need to talk about it,” Liam says carefully. For once he can smell _Theo’s_ concern, _his_ fear and _his_ worry. “But I don’t want whatever it is to stop.”

Theo just stares at him but Liam listens carefully. His heartbeat is steadying. His breathing is relaxed.

“I don’t think you being my anchor is a product of me bringing you back from hell.”

“No?” Theo genuinely looks surprised. Liam shakes his head and moves towards the end of the bed, sitting himself facing towards Theo and daring to take one his hands in his own.

“I think it’s _this_ ,” he gestures between them, silently referring to whatever the hell feelings he’s been having and whatever made Theo kiss him in the elevator. “So do you want this to stop?”

“It’s barely begun,” Theo cracks a smile and squeezes Liam’s hand a little tighter. “But no.”

“Cool,” Liam nods, hopping off the bed still holding Theo’s hand. “Wanna get some food?”

“Sure,” Theo grins, but tugs Liam back towards him as he stands from the bed. Liam catches the hint and raises the hand not firmly secured in Theo’s grip to the back of his neck, tugging him down and kissing him quickly and assuredly. Theo catches Liam’s hip with his free hand and keeps him there, deepening the kiss for a moment, not wanting to push too far. He finally lets go with a smile and shoves Liam towards the door.

“You offered me food,” he reminds Liam who is looking at him, somewhat confused and dazed. “I’m starving.”

Theo listens in and Liam’s heart is controlled and calm. His breathing is in check.

Liam can hear Theo crystal clear and he can see him with even greater clarity. He’s not dizzy now and he’s not tense or raging. He’s not destroying the room and he’s not trembling at the thought of another supernatural enemy. He thinks he might just be ok with this arrangement, with this unspoken knowledge of feelings. With Theo as his anchor.

The next time he’s on the lacrosse field and a kid, Ben, who reeks of remorse whenever he’s around Liam, shoulder-checks him he breathes, looks to Theo on the bleachers with Mason and he’s ok. The thread running through him is loose and lifts his arm to pat Ben on the back as he shoves him gently back into play. _It is what it is_ , he thinks with a smile and runs himself back into the game.


End file.
